Illusions and Lies
by Heart of the Lullaby
Summary: Through those brown eyes, I swore I saw the old Vince Blake. The same maddening, brooding eyes he had before he beat me, Chase, and Michael up" An angsty Logan/Quinn/Vince love triangle.
1. Suspicions

It started out with just a little smile across the lunch table. He stared at her for just a second longer than he should have. It's almost like they were speaking to each other telepathically.

I take a bite of my hot dog and swig down some of my Blix. My stomach feels sick to the core. Now Quinn is smiling at him as the rest of our friends chatter on, not a care in the world. It's probably all in my head, but I feel like something in my blissful world has…well, shifted. It was probably going to bug me the rest of the afternoon, and probably into the wee hours of the morning, just trying to figure it all out.

I had to stop the million thoughts rushing through my mind. I put my arm around her neck and kissed her. Usually, we're not the type of couple that displays public affection, but it did numb my sickening thoughts and images of Quinn and Vince. The intoxicating smell of her vanilla perfume and her delicate hands running through my fluffed hair (thanks Juanita!) was all I could think about.

Whistling and cat calls put an end to it, and we pulled away, and Michael and Chase laughed.

I noticed Vince slumped down in his chair and sighed, glaring at me. Damn. Through those brown eyes, I swore I saw the old Vince Blake through them. The same maddening, brooding eyes he had before he beat me, Chase, and Michael up.

He looked away as Lola asked him, "Want some of my grapes?" while Chase and Zoey fake-pouted in the background (them and their obsession with grapes).

"I'm…not in the mood for grapes right now, babe. I'm sure Zoey and Chase would be happy to have them," he said with a phony smile.

Although I couldn't stand Lola, I always felt a little protective over her since she started dating Vince. There was always the possibility of her getting hurt, and I couldn't stand seeing her hurt. She always pretended like everything was just fine with all the other countless guys, but I could see it in her eyes that she it was far from alright. I swear I see her give Chase that look sometimes, although I had no clue why. Those poignant eyes made ceaseless shivers go up and down my spine.

"You okay, Logan?" Quinn whispers in my ear, her curtain of wavy brunette hair falling in front of her, tickling my chin.

"Fine," I muttered. Any second I was going to be sick, I just know it.

A few minutes later, the bell rang, and our friends headed on to their next classes. Vince had his arm around Lola's shoulders, but I saw him glance back at me and Quinn, that same haunting stare.

Well, there's 10 minutes before class begins. I slip her soft hand in mine, and lead her to our favorite make-out place. I press against her as she kiss and kiss endlessly. She fingers my cheeks, as I slither my hands down to her slender frame. Soon enough, I can't seem to stop.

She pushes away, "Logan…what has gotten into you?" she asks.

I didn't want to tell her what I saw at lunch. Although Quinn was probably the most understanding girlfriend I've ever had, I have a feeling she wouldn't believe me. I simply shrugged my shoulders.

"First at lunch, now here."

"You sound pissed," I say bluntly.

"I'm not it's just…" she trails off.

"You didn't like that?" Why do I feel so damn vulnerable at this point?

"Just…not in the mood," she crosses her arms and sighs.

I try to avoid the fact that this could have something to do with Vince. Instead, I laugh and say, "Who's ass do I have to kick today?"

She sniffs like she's about to cry, "Just…it's nothing. Look, I need to class now." She grabs her purple backpack and hurries off. She doesn't look back.

XxX

I wanted so badly to cheer her up that night and take her to Sushi Rox. I couldn't stand to see Quinn unhappy. But afterall, she was being pretty cold and distant today. Maybe we just needed a little space for the night.

Me and Michael decided to bring out the video games, popcorn, and Blix for just a night in the dorm room. Since Chase was on a date with Zoey, we decided to invite James along.

Soon, I was just losing myself in the game. I forgot all the complications with my girlfriend, and fell into the exhilarating rush of the game. I was just about to totally beat the high score when my phone rings.

Lola's picture shows up on the caller ID.

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**Dun dun dun! A cliffhanger!**

**I'm thinking this will be a three-shot. **

**And by the way, this is NOT for Quogan day. I will be writing a fluffy little one-shot for the lovely couple that is Quogan for that wonderous day ;)**

**~HOTL~**


	2. True Colors

**There have been so many songs that inspired me for this story. For background music, I suggest I'm So Sick-Flyleaf, or Mr. Brightside-The Killers, or maybe even What I've Done-Linkin Park ;)  
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I internally debate whether I should pick up the damn phone or call her back later. Maybe it's important and a total emergency or more likely something trivial, knowing Lola. Yeah, that's probably it.

On the other hand, I couldn't stand losing to Michael. As my hands were racing up and down the neck of the guitar (we were playing Guitar Hero), totally in the zone, I decided to call Lola back when the song ended. Knowing Lola, it couldn't be that important. Just something stupid like she got the lead role in the school play. Whatever.

XxX

Great. Even though I decided not to pick up the phone, I still lost. Dammit.

"Wanna come shoot some hoops with us?" James asked.

A "yes" almost came out of my mouth as I remembered Lola, "Nah. You guys go ahead. I got this report for English I need to work on."

"You…? Doing homework on a Friday night?" Michael said in disbelief.

"I know, hard to believe. You guys just go without me," I said, waving them toward the door.

They shrugged and went out the door.

I saw that she left me a voicemail, and held my phone up to ear to listen, "Hey…this is Lola. Um…well…I have something I need to talk to you about. Just…call me back."

This was so unlike Lola. Usually, she would have loads to say. This time, she sounded shocked and hurt. I heard some sniffing in the background. Okay, now this just had to be serious.

I dialed her number, and on the first ring she picked up, "Hi," she said emotionlessly.

"Hey," I said, "what's going on?"

"I wish I knew," she said, her voice cracking.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Is Quinn just…acting strange around you or anything?"

"She was today. What's your point?"

"Quinn's been acting really distant lately. She's always getting these secret texts no one else can see, sneaking out at night…I'm worried."

With her words, I felt like I had been slapped. Quinn, my girlfriend, the love of my life, won't confide in me?

"I don't know anything about this."

"You…don't?" she said, sounding confused.

"No," I said.

"Well, also, Vince has been acting weird too."

"I knew he had something to do with this…" I muttered under my breath.

"What?"

"Nothing. What's Vince been doing?"

"He keeps blowing me off, acting like I'm not his girlfriend or something."

I couldn't take this anymore. All she told me made me sick to the pit of my stomach. All I wanted to do was feel Quinn's soft, delicate, hands in mine, caress my hair, and press my lips against hers. I wanted her to numb everything running wildly through my head.

"Logan? You still there?" she asked after several moments of silence.

"Do you…know where Quinn is now, by any chance?"

"No. I haven't seen her since lunch."

"I have to go. Bye." I swear, I feel like the biggest piece of crap in the world.

XxX

I strolled through the campus casually, while inside, I was so wound up and anxiety coursed through my veins. My heart was pounding, and my head was reeling. This was utter insanity.

I thought I knew my own girlfriend better than I did myself, but I guess not. I felt like a 1st place winner, holding a big, gold cup, and having it slip through my hands, and it being awarded to someone else.

Suddenly, I heard Quinn's unmistakable laugh. I followed the sound, running and running, while my heart pounded in my chest.

I found her under a willow tree with Vince. Slowly, softly, I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces as they kiss and I go by unnoticed.

I couldn't take it any longer, "WHAT THE HELL?"

They broke away, as Quinn's brown eyes grew wide. She came over to me, "Baby…it's not what it looks like. I never meant for this to happen. I-"

"I can't believe you." my eyes shifted over to Vince, "Both of you."

"It's not what you think," she placed her hands on my shoulders, running them down my arms.

I mustered up all the strength and will-power, and pushed her away, "It's over."

"No…it's can't be," and I see her eyes overflowing with tears.

"Well it is." I feel a few tears filling my eyes, and I quickly brushed them away, "I thought you loved me. I thought I meant everything to you like you do to me. I can't believe I'm saying something so utterly cheesy. You don't deserve it."

With that, I turned my back and walked stiffly away. I felt numb, but for all the wrong reasons. Vince and Quinn kissing are playing back in my head, over and over again, and I can't get it to stop.

That's when, right outside my Maxwell Hall, I threw up in the bushes. Feeling the crappiest I ever had in my life.

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**With that, Happy Valentine's Day :P**

**I know...probably something you wouldn't expect me to post on this lovely holiday, but I had to get this out. **

**That being said, review ;)**

**~HOTL~  
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	3. Let The Flames Begin

** Hey guys! I finally got around to updating! So please read! And also, this is from Zoey's POV. **

** *A great song recommendation would be Let the Flames Begin by Paramore ;)**

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It was around 10 pm when I got back from my movie date with Chase. When I opened up the door, neither Lola nor Quinn was there. Strange…usually they would be up here by now.

I pulled out my laptop and decided to make the best of this time alone by working on my English report due soon.

Soon enough, there was a knock on the door. I expected it to be either Lola or Quinn, forgetting their keys for the umpteenth time, but instead, there was Logan. Wait…Logan?

I pushed him inside, "What are _doing _here? It's way after curfew! You could get caught!" I scolded him.

After I was done, I finally got a good look at him. His eyes were red and watery, his hair was disheveled (it looked perfectly gelled a few hours ago), and his clothes were wrinkled. So unlike the Logan I knew.

"Something's wrong," I said matter-of-factly.

"Just…where's Lola?!" he cried out. Lola?

"What is going on, Logan?" my voice filled with worry. I hadn't intended it to be, but seeing him so…battered and bruised, so fragile and vulnerable, it made me sick to my stomach. It was rare to see Logan Reese like this, and it almost made me want to cry.

"Just…nothing. If you see Lola, just tell her to come to talk to me or something. Look, I gotta go…" he trailed off.

I put my hand almost subconsciously on his shoulder, and he turned around, "You can tell me, Logan."

"Please, Zo…leave me alone. Maybe this was a bad idea."

I wanted so badly to reach out and hug him, but I held back, "No. You can stay here until Lola gets here."

"This is a bad idea. What if Quinn gets back…" he trailed off and looked toward the door, "Let me go!" he cried, and jerked his arm away, close to tears.

I caught hold of his rough, calloused hand, "Please…"

He turned around to face me, tears streaming down his cheeks, "Quinn...she's cheating on me…"

A wave of shock hit me, "What? No, no, no…I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding…Quinn…she would never -" I tried reassuring him.

He laughed sadly, "Yeah, that's what I thought. Whatever. I need to go before I get caught."

My brain was whirring until all of the puzzle pieces fit together, "Why do you want to see Lola? Is he cheating on her with…Quinn?"

I saw his eyes grow wide, "Please don't tell her, Zoey. Let me be the one," he entreated.

"Okay," I nodded my head yes.

"I don't wanna talk about this anymore. I gotta get going anyway," he said, pulling away, opening the door.

"Logan!" I needed to tell him one last thing, "You and Quinn are both meant to be. You're crying over her. I've never seen that happen – ever. Admit it! You love her! You love her more than I love Chase, more than Michael loves Lisa, more than Lola loves Vince! I'm hope this doesn't tear us all apart."

"I don't love her anymore," I could tell he was denying it, "and we're in for a bloody battle, Brooks. Let the flames begin," he said cynically before closing the door shut.

_xxx_

After he left, I sat down on my bed, contemplating all of this. It still made absolutely no sense. Why would sweet, quirky Quinn do something like this? Why did we ever believe that Vince ever had changed? Where is Lola and does she know about this?

Soon, my pillow was wet with tears, my perfectly applied mascara running down my face.

Quinn entered the room. I wanted to scream at her to get out, I wanted to throw all of her scientific crap out the window. Instead, I just said, "Hi," I felt like I had betrayed Logan by acting like everything was okay.

"Why are you crying?" Quinn looked genuinely concerned.

I ignored her question, "How could you?" I spat at her. Logan would like that, I thought.

"Zoey, let me explain…"

"I don't care what your reason is. I don't want to talk to you right now," and with that, I snapped off the light, and crawled into bed.

_xxx_

I don't know how much later, but I heard, Lola creeping in softly. I was too tired to ask her if she was alright. I was too tired to even look up and see if she was crying or if she was perfectly fine.

No matter if she was still clueless or not, like Logan said, let the flames begin.

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**Yes! Mwahahaha another chapter down! **

**A note to all: I don't know how long this story is going to be, but I do know that I will be switching POV's every 1 or 2 chapters, so be aware ;)**

**And with that, favorite, alert, and review my little lovlies! Meheh ~___-  
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	4. Surrounded by Uncertainty

**This chapter is from Quinn's POV. **

** Song recommendations: I Hate Everything About You-Three Days Grace, Conspiracy-Paramore, maybe even Don't Speak-No Doubt ;)  
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I was tossing and turning the whole night. Images of Logan's hurt face and looks of betrayal, his sneering words cutting deep to the core; images of Vince played, him smirking at me, biting his lip, trying not to laugh after Logan stomped away; images of Zoey and her look of shock sitting perfectly on her face, her quiet, cold voice; and lastly, a dark and blurry image of Lola's bloodshot face and slumping body creeping silently toward her bunk bed and all I heard from her was the infrasonic sound of her padding her feet and a final flop down on the bunk bed above me.

At 5:30 AM, I couldn't take anymore of this. I slipped on an old gray t-shirt, blue sweat shorts, and a pair of tennis shoes and pulled back my hair and slipped quietly out the door. Stepping out onto the damp, dewy grass, I took in the crisp morning air and the rising California sun.

I jogged clear across campus, my heart pounding, my adrenaline rushing and pulsating through me wildly. With every step I took, I left another piece of last night's drama behind, until all I could focus on was the thudding of my feet on the pavement beneath me and the fresh morning air. I would have to take morning jogs more often.

Soon, I was out of breath and gasping helplessly for air. The basketball court was nearby so I walked over and sat down on a bench, trying to regain my composure and take a break.

On the way out, I almost tripped over a basketball. It seemed well-pumped, why not shoot a few hoops to further calm me down?

_ Dribble. Dribble. Fwoom. Swish! _ I gave all my focus and concentration to make basket after countless basket.

"Hey," I heard that familiar voice. I literally stopped breathing and dropped the basketball, letting it roll off across the court.

With all the force in my body, I turned to face him, leaning against the chain-link fence, grinning that carefree, boyish grin that I adored. _Stop that! _my mind demanded. I couldn't help it. I hated him, but he'd grown on me madly, and this sudden feeling was almost impossible to stop.

He was standing there, waiting for me to say something, "Please…go away," I finally choked out, giving it all my oxygen.

"I only wish it could be that simple," he chuckled to himself.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he drove me crazy with these types of comments.

"Hmm, guess that's for me to know and you to figure out," he winked. I shivered. He stepped closer, and soon, we were only inches away.

"Please stop," I whispered to him, looking down uncomfortably.

"After last night, it's kind of hard, Quinn. Your lips call to mine, and hey, can't say no to that."

I backed away slowly, "After last night, I've seen that this isn't going to work. You saw Logan. I love him. I really like you, Vince, but you have Lola, and now I've messed up everything…" I trailed off, almost in tears.

"If you loved him so much, you wouldn't be making out with me every night, would you?"

"Well, you wouldn't be making out with me if you loved Lola so much either," I retorted, strands of hair falling in my face, and I shoved them fiercely back behind my ears.

"When did I ever say I loved Lola, hmm?" a playful look in his eyes.

I started at him with utter confusion etched across my face. How could I ever like this guy? How could I ever believe he was nice after all that he did? How could I still like him after he totally laughed as my boyfriend walked away after finding out about us? These three questions still baffled me. Better experiment with them later. Maybe I would have better luck doing that when I had some time to myself. I had a feeling I would have a lot of that lately.

I slapped him hard despite all of this. He stumbled back, a look of astonishment crossed his face, "You horrible little cockroach!" I yelled hoarsely.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"Don't pretend like you don't know! Because of you, I've messed things up between my boyfriend and my best friend! And you know what the worse thing is? I'm strangely attracted to you in spite of all of this, and you don't even care! About any of it!" by then, my voice rose a few decibel levels, and I was gesturing with my hands zealously, "You just stand there…smiling like a complete idiot, crossing you arms and laughing at me - "

He pulled me into a kiss and caved in, pressing up against him. _What am I doing? _I suddenly realized and pulled away, "Stay away from me," I said firmly.

Before he could reel me back in, I ran off the court and soon, the familiar rhythm my feet thudding on the pavement and my rushing adrenaline came back to me.

"Hey! Quinn! What the hell…?" I heard him shout.

Soon, his voice was out of range and I could no longer hear him, but I kept on running.

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Maybe if I acted like everything was normal, last night's events would sound like a strange dream.

At lunch, I sat down with all my friends. Chase, Michael, and Lisa acted like their usual selves. Zoey sat as far away as possible and avoided looking at me, much less talking to me. I saw Lola sitting with Jeremiah Trottman, him wearing an annoyed and tired expression, trying to convince him she should work alongside him as a PCA newscaster. Logan, on the other hand, was nowhere to be found.

"Where's Logan?" Michael asked, scanning the other lunch tables.

"Yeah, and why's Lola sitting with Jeremiah?" Chase questioned, glancing over at them.

They both looked at me, "What?"

"Well, you are Lola's best friend, and Logan's girlfriend," Lisa stated matter-of-factly.

"Sorry, not sure," I mumbled, looking down at my Caesar salad, sandwich, and Blix on my tray. Man, was I having a light lunch. Seeing Vince this morning made me lose my appetite.

"Is there something going on?" Michael asked.

"Good question, Michael. What _is _going on?" Zoey finally spoke, her icy tone making shivers go up and down my spine.

"You got me," I said shrugging, trying to look innocent.

"Right, tell me when you're ready to own up to your big mistake. You know what's going on," she said harshly, picked up her try, and plopped down next to Jeremiah and Lola.

"What was that all about?" Chase asked.

"Oh, it's nothing," I said, waving my hand away.

No one said anything, but they stared at me suspiciously.

I pressed my zap watch from under the table, burning a hole through the table, "Woah!" I looked down at my watch, "Hmm, what's wrong with this thing? Better go get this taken care of up in my dorm rather sooner than later. Don't want any accidents to happen," I said hurriedly.

"Quinn…you've barely touched your food," Michael said, glancing down at my tray.

"Yeah, you can have my lunch, not that hungry, gotta go, bye!" I said all in one sentence.

I grabbed my purple backpack and high-tailed it the heck out of there, and for the second time that day, I didn't look back.

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**It was SO fun writing this chapter! After a long, crazy last week at school, I just finally pounded all of this out onto Word...it felt so good and relaxing and really helped me to de-stress. **

**It's usually pretty hard for me to get into character for Quinn. I hope I did her some justice. Tell me what you think ;)**

**Also, I'm really excited with where this story is going, now since it's summer, I'll be updating more often so look forward to that! Speaking of, you can look at my livejournal: .com to see all the summer fanfiction projects I'll be working on if you're interested.**

**With that said, read, review, alert, favorite, etc. Happy Summer, darlings =)  
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	5. What's Going On?

**Ahh! I'm alive! Anyway, this chapter is told from three points of view: Lisa's, Chase's, and Michael's. I think I made it easy enough so you can figure out who's POV it's in.**

**Song Recommendations: All We Know - Paramore, Settle Down - Cartel, Swim - Jack's Mannequin, Fix You - Coldplay. Got anymore? Feel free to tell me in a review or send me a PM :)**

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Zoey's my best friend and the girl I've loved since the first day of 8th grade. One of the first things I noticed about her was she had the tendency to let her emotions get the better of her. Sometimes, it led her to do amazing this, such as making a girl's basketball team and totally showing up Logan or voicing her opinions The Chase and Michael Show.

But it also led her to do some pretty crazy things as well, like the time when she and Lola ended up wrestling in the mud over a beauty pageant. And don't even get me started on the whole radio debacle!

Anyway, something is obviously wrong amongst our circle of friends. After lunch, I think I'll pull her aside before next period and see what's going on and possibly calm her down and have her start thinking a bit more rationally.

Perplexity was the only emotion I could feel at the moment. Why? I kept thinking, Why is Lola sitting with Jeremiah instead of us? Why was Zoey so cold to Quinn and what her "big mistake"? Why was Quinn acting so weird? Why do I feel so left out and confused? And most importantly, why was Logan missing at lunch and where is he now? Lost in thought, the bell suddenly rang, so we hurried off to class, and I just couldn't get Logan's absence out of my head. Don't get me wrong, Logan totally belongs to Quinn and I'm in love with Michael. But despite his snotty attitude and tough demeanor, I've really grown to like Logan….all in a platonic way, of course. Over the course of senior year, we had somehow formed a tight friendship, and he was now one of my closest friends.

Like my mom always said: When a Perkins sets their mind on something, you always see it through. Well, right now, I'm setting my mind on finding out what's exactly going on between my friends and hopefully, I'll see this through.

I think it's safe to say that Lola is my closest friend who's a girl. And she would probably say that I'm her closest guy friend. I think the fact that we went out briefly in 9th grade has something to do with how close we are and how much we care for each other. She's like a little sister to me...I can't stand to see her upset or hurt.

Lola's usually pretty good at covering up her true emotions...she is an aspiring actress, after all. But today, she looked pretty out of it. For one, she wasn't sitting with us. Secondly, she was sitting with Jeremiah, trying to convince him that she should be a PCA newscaster. From the snippets of the conversation I heard, seems like she was losing this argument.

It seems like there's something going on with the girls, and for some reason, I get the feeling it isn't over something stupid like one of Quinnventions going wrong or Lola borrowing (and loosing) one of Quinn's shirts. Whatever has happened, I feel like as a big brother, I should see what's going down and what's up with Lola right now.

As the bell rang, signaling that lunch was over, I ran to catch up with Zoey.

"Hey...we have ten minutes before our next class. Can we talk?"

"Sure," she said, leading me over to a grassy area in the middle of campus.

"What's on your mind?" she asked me.

"Your attitude at lunch. I rarely ever see you get mad at Quinn. What's the deal?"

She looked around, making sure that no one was going to hear what she was about to say, "You might as well hear it from me. Better than hearing it later from someone else as soon as this starts circulating around the school." She leaned in closer, lowering her voice as she said, "Quinn has been cheating on Logan with Vince."

"What?" I exclaimed, trying to process this information. No wonder everyone was acting so weird and distant at lunch.

"Shhh!" she shushed me, before saying, "Logan told me last night. Not sure how he found out. Either Quinn confessed or he caught them together."

This was all so unbelievable. I couldn't find the words to sum up how stunned I was by this, until I remembered Lola, "What about Lola? Does she know?"

"Not when he came to me. He told me that he wanted to be the one to tell her. She must have found out shortly after he came up to my dorm room."

"I can't believe this...any of this," I muttered.

"Me either. Now, our whole group is going to suffer because of Quinn's utterly selfish decisions. What a bitch..." she said harshly.

Quinn may be a bit weird, but she's been one of my friends since 8th grade. She's been without a doubt in love with Logan since the end of junior year. This is just so out of character, just so unlike Quinn Pensky to do something this rash and this hurtful.

Zoey's comment didn't sit well with me, "Well, maybe you should give her a chance to explain herself and try to see her side of the story. I'm not saying what she did was right, but come on, Zoe...I heard you at lunch. She probably feels guilty enough as it is. Plus, Vince has this way of manipulating people. It's not entirely her fault. For now, maybe it's best if you should just stay out of it," I suggested.

Her brow furrowed and I could see the frustration in her eyes, "Stay out of it? You just want me to sit aside and watch everyone bite each other's heads off? He may have tempted her, but in the end, it was her decision. You just want me to believe this crap you're feeding me about it being Vince's fault? This is what you want me to do?" she said, her voice raising.

"Calm down. You have a right to be mad at her, a right to question her morals. What you don't have a right to do is make her feel worse about the whole situation. She is your friend, after all - "

"Was my friend," she corrected me.

"Whatever. Anyway, if a cat fight is happening, then feel free to step in there and stop it, but honestly, you could end up making things worse instead of fixing them. Just let Logan, Lola, Quinn, and Vince work it out on their own. You're only going to create more drama if you step in and put in your two cents."

Glaring at me, she said stonily, "Chase, I'm not 'making things worse'...I'm just putting certain people in their place, making them realize that they've done something wrong. I'm trying to help." She stood up, "At this rate, I'm going to be late to class. I'm leaving," she said, walking off.

I ran, catching up with her, "Please, Zoey...just promise me you won't do or say anything you're going to regret."

She turned around to face me, "Just stop telling me what to do. You may think you know it all, but you don't. Now if you don't mind, the bell is going to ring in 30 seconds, and my class is on the other side of campus," and with that, she stormed off.

"Zoey! I'm sorry!" I called after her.

Not turning to look back at me, I heard her say from a distance, "Just leave me alone."

...

After about an hour of searching after classes had ended, I finally found him shooting some free throws on the basketball court.

"Hey, Logan," I startled him a bit as he threw and air-balled.

Letting the ball roll off, he sighed and turned around to face me.

"What is it?" he asked exasperatedly. Luckily, I was one of the few that knew how to handle Logan when he became this way.

"Didn't see you at lunch today, and not in English either. Just wanted to make sure if everything was okay."

"Does everything look okay to you? Huh, Lisa?" he shouted.

"No need to get loud with me, Logan. I'm just trying to find out what's going on. With you missing, Lola sitting with Jeremiah instead of us, Zoey acting like a total ice queen to Quinn, Quinn being totally out of it and left during the middle of lunch...there's gotta be something up."

He instantly tensed up at the mention of Quinn. He laughed bitterly and said, "Wonder why Lola wanted to avoid sitting at the same table as her, let alone being within a mile radius of her? Wonder why Zoey decided to be such a bitch to Quinn today? Hmm, wonder where Vince was in the middle of all of this? Where did Quinn run off to? It's all a mystery..." he replied in a mocking, sarcastic tone.

"So...I guess it's no secret that you know what all about? And by the way, what does Vince have to do with all of this? Doesn't he usually sit with the football team, anyway?"

He didn't reply. Instead, he ran to the other side of the court, grabbed his basketball, and kept shooting basket after basket. After a few moments of silence, he finally said, "If he's not sitting with us, he's usually sitting with the football team. But I don't think that's the case today. Vince's probably fooling and messing with that stupid backstabbing, cheating..." In his rage, he trailed off, furiously dribbling the ball.

It didn't take long to put two and two together. Was Quinn possibly cheating on Logan with Vince? It didn't make any sense at all that sweet, quirky, bubbly Quinn who was totally in love with Logan, would do something like this. Maybe this was just my imagination running away with me, so I decided I needed him to confirm this.

"Logan...did Quinn...did she...cheat on you...with Vince? Is that why everyone is mad at each other?" I asked hesitantly. I knew that if I was wrong, he'd be mad at me for questioning Quinn's morality, and if I was right, he'd still be mad about the whole situation anyway. Either outcome, I was mentally preparing myself for an explosion.

He sighed, plopping down on a bench near the courts, and I sat down right next to him. "Why do you always have to be so damn right, Lisa?" Maybe I was wrong about that explosion.

"Logan...Lola and Zoey know. I don't know how many other people you've told, but either way, you know in the end that we're all going to side with you."

"You know how much I like girls. But when it comes to really loving them? Quinn was the first. And the last," ouch. Last?

"I know how much you still love her. If you didn't, you wouldn't be acting like this. And I bet Quinn still cares for you too."

"Yeah, but does she love me?" he questioned, raising his voice slightly. This was a side of Logan that I had never seen before. Underneath that massive ego and arrogance, there lied a vulnerable human being.

"I don't know, Logan. That's something you need to ask her yourself. I'm not recommending you should take her back at all, but you should at least talk to her and see what was going through her mind and what led her to do something so...un-Quinn like. Get a bit of closure, you know?" I got up and walked away, leaving him to simmer in his thoughts.

...

_Meet me at Sushi Rox for dinner? I need to talk to you. It's important. _I texted Lola.

She replied back a few minutes later: _Thanks Michael, but I'm not in the mood to eat right now. We can talk later._

Aw, come on! I texted her back: _Lola, please. Just meet me down there in about ten minutes, okay?_

_Fine,_ she texted me back, _I'll see you there in 10._

"What is it?" she said as soon as we sat down.

"I'm just concerned...you didn't sit with us at lunch today...everyone has been acting distant...especially you. Me, Lisa, and Chase have been practically in the dark about this whole thing. Just tell me what's going on."

She sighed, "I just don't know what to do. I want to tell you, Michael. I really do. But...just promise you won't tell anyone."

"I promise," I told her.

"Vince...he..." she took a deep breath, trying to hold back tears, "he cheated on me...with Quinn."

I did a double-take. And I thought that little people dancing around in wedding dresses and random horses following me around like a dog was unbelievable. Quinn cheating on Logan with Vince now won the title "Most Unbelievable Moment in My Life."

"What? This has gotta be some sort of joke..." I trailed off, knowing it wasn't as she shook her head sadly.

"I wish I could say that. Vince is supposed to be my boyfriend. He shouldn't be cheating on me, making me feel like crap. After he beat you guys up and he came back to PCA, he was hard to trust. But Quinn was my best friend. The person I probably trusted the most. I just don't know who to feel more mad at, you know?"

"Wow...how did you find out?"

"Logan saw them. Shortly afterward, he found me sitting outside of Sushi Rox, where me and Vince were supposed to be going on a date that night. He told me."

I kept opening and closing my mouth, trying to find the right words to say. Then, I remembered Vince and my blood boiled. How could he do this to Lola? "Vince is a fool for cheating on someone like you. You're sweet, energetic, fun to be around...there's no way in hell you should take him back. I know there are so many guys out there who would kill to have a chance to be with someone like you."

I saw a tiny smile form on her lips, "You don't mean it, Michael. I did something wrong, and that's why he cheated on me."

"I do mean it. He was the one who made the mistake, not you. But as for Quinn," I saw her shiver at the mention of her name, "you guys are best friends. Sure, it may take some time for you guys to forgive each other. But I think, eventually, you'll be friends again."

She shook her head sadly at this, "At this point, I'm not so sure if that will happen. Right now, I haven't even spoken to her and I don't want to speak to her at all. I just wish she would...disappear, or I could turn back time and undo this whole situation."

Finishing up my meal, I sighed, "Well, maybe after you both cool off a bit, I think you should try talking to her. It seems to me that you have both been taken advantage by Vince. He's a pretty charming dude, after all. I'm sure she fell for him the same reason you did. What she did wasn't right, but I don't think it was completely her fault."

"That's true, I guess. It still doesn't make this whole situation any better."

"Everything happens for a reason. Maybe the reason was for you to realize that Vince is scum or maybe it will bring you closer to Logan or something." She wrinkled her nose, "Not like that! But you guys are always at each other's throats. Maybe you guys will be a little more friendlier toward each other now."

"Speaking of Logan, you know what the funny thing is? I always thought that Logan was going to hurt Quinn. Turns out it was the other way around. You know what else is funny, though? Quinn isn't the only one feeling guilty. I didn't understand their relationship at first and for the first few months they were together, I kept wishing they would break up. Somehow, I feel like maybe this is also my fault too."

I saw her eyes water as she stood up, "I...I have to go, Michael. Thanks for everything," she choked out.

"Anytime. If you ever need to talk, I'll be there," I said with a smile as we walked out the door. Tears started pouring and I hugged her.

I held her as she cried, "Things will get better. I promise," I whispered in her ear, trying to convince myself as much as I was trying to convince her.

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**It's hard to believe that the last time I updated Illusions and Lies was the beginning of JUNE! Seriously? I was in total shock when I finally realized about a month ago that it had been that long. School + writer's block = MAJOR lack of updates =/**

**Anyway, sorry for my dedicated readers and friends who have been waiting so long for the next chapter. I've been feeling bad about keeping you hanging. Honestly, I'm not feeling too good about this chapter, but it's an update, nonetheless. Not making any promises, but if I get a good number of reviews for this chapter, you may see an update within the next two weeks, since it's Christmas break and I have more time on my hands.**

**By the way, it's my birthday tomorrow (15 baby!), so it would be nice to wake up to some good ol' alerting, favoriting, and reviewing ;)**

**Also, I wish everyone a Happy Winter Solstice, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and a MERRY CHRISTMAS! And if I don't get the chance to update beforehand, then a Happy New Year as well :)**

**I hope everyone is doing fabulous and having a wonderful holiday! Hopefully, I'll update soon!**

**-Maddie (HOTL)**


	6. Re Occurring Patterns

**This chapter is all from Vince's POV. As always, some song recommendations while reading this chapter are: "Over and Over" by Three Days Grace and "Pretty Girl (The Way)" by Sugarcult. PM me if you have any more suggestions after reading this and suggestions for the next chapter. Enjoy! **

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Honestly? I have no fucking idea why I became so damn attracted to Quinn Pensky.

It all started a few months ago during history when Mrs. Goldman partnered me up with Quinn to work on a project. Since she was my girlfriend's best friend and as smart as they come, I was completely fine with this. But then, as we were working together after class, I started lusting after her long brown hair, russet-colored glasses, and her hazel eyes.

It felt like the longer we had been dating, the more Lola had been drowning me, unintentionally of course. She kept pulling me in and not letting me come up for air. But despite, that I loved her. I loved how she was always there for me, always cheering me on at my football games as loud as she can, helping me study for tests, whatever I needed at the time, she could be. That should be enough right? But I just wanted it to be how it used to be, such a happy and simple relationship. Unfortunately right now, it felt like she wasn't giving me enough space and our relationship just wasn't as fun as it used to be. But I can't let her go. I was feeling confused and Quinn seemed to qualm that confusion for a bit.

We were both in my dorm room a few months ago, finally finishing up presentation for the project we were going to do. "Well, after two weeks of hard work, it's done," she smiled at me, looking relieved and happy.

I remember leaning in and kissing her all of sudden. I wasn't thinking. Once I realized how wrong this was, she was kissing me back, and it was obvious that she didn't want to stop. I didn't want to either. From her slender hands wrapping around the back of my neck to her hair gently sweeping across us, in that moment, it just felt right.

Finally, she pulled away and stared at me for a long time before finally saying, "Vince...what about Lola? What about Logan? Why...?" her voice trailed off.

I loved Lola, she was so fun and care-free but I also was developing feelings for Quinn...something that I couldn't stop even if I tried. "Well, I suppose what Logan and Lola don't know won't hurt them. What we just did...it was wrong and will never happen again. Alright?"

Looking lost and unsure, she stood up and headed toward the door, "Look, Vince...I've got to go. I'll see you later," she glanced at me awkwardly before heading out the door.

Well, it's been a few months, and we've been sneaking around. We both can't help it and we don't know how to stop it. She loves Logan and I still love Lola. We both feel the same way about the whole situation. She was my escape and I was hers. Although we were both good at hiding it around all our friends, I was finding myself to become more and more jealous of Logan. Quinn and Logan were the ones with the real relationship, but I was just the guy on the side when she needed a break, when she was confused. But I also felt a little sorry for him too...he had no idea that his girlfriend was cheating on him right under his snug little nose.

Still, with every kiss and every touch, there would still be that glassy, guilty look in her eyes, "Just go with it, you're fine. I'm fine. Lola's fine. Logan's fine. Forget about all of this," I would always tell her, and still unsure and vulnerable, she would give in to me and let go.

"Meet me under the usual spot at 10 tonight, it's been such a rough day, Quinn, right now, I need you. You're the only one that's keeping me from going crazy right now. Just call me back when you get this, or not, that's cool too. Now I'm rambling, so just meet me there, okay? Thanks," I left the message on her voicemail last night.

As always, she met me there, greeting me with a kiss and I kissed her back. As we pulled away, there was a huge grin on her face, "I should feel paranoid right now. I think Logan knows that's something's up. But it's been a tough day...seeing you has made me...happy."

"I feel the same way," I pulled her in for another kiss and she pulled away, her twinkling laughter echoing into the night sky, and I pulled her closer to me.

"WHAT THE HELL?" Logan suddenly yelled and she tore away from me.

She ran over to Logan, trying to convince him that it wasn't what it looked like, that it was never meant to happen...basically that I meant _ nothing _to her. It probably made me as sick to my stomach as it was to Logan, watching her betray him like this.

He told her it was over and walked away, and she just watched him with a sad expression. As I stood behind her. For some reason, I could help but laugh after he stormed off. Quinn Pensky was not the little science nerd I had known a year ago. Here she was sneaking around, breaking people's hearts, and still trying to wrap her head around how it all happened and where she fell apart.

I could read her expression so clearly. And for that, I couldn't help but hold back a laugh. It was at that moment that I saw she wasn't as smart as she let on to be. Or maybe she was. She had Logan Reese thinking that they would be together forever, almost turning him into a whipped little dog. But the part I laughed at most of all? Logan had lost. He had lost the one thing that meant the most to him, the one girl who had showed us that he wasn't always such a jerk. And now for the time being, I had Lola and Quinn while he was left with absolutely nothing. How's that for comeuppance, Reese? Through all my reasons and confusion, I laughed into the night sky, drowning out the sound of Quinn's tiny sniffles.

Suddenly, Quinn was screaming in my face, "You idiot. You horrible idiot! You ruin everything! And to make matters worse, all you can do is laugh in my face. Did you momentarily become deaf? Suddenly went blind? Both? Did you notice anything that just happened within the last five minutes?"

"Don't worry, I noticed," I said, my laughter dying down a bit but still there.

"Then why are you doing this me?" she looked at me with a conflicted expression, her eyes growing wide, looking at me wildly for answers.

I knew she wasn't going to like what she was about to hear. But for now, I was on a victorious high, "Why should I feel sorry for you, why should I even feel any sympathy when all of this is _your _fault?"

"Well, if you don't remember _Vincent_," ooh, she was using my full name, "let me refresh your memory. _You _were the one to kiss _me._"

She thought she was right. Quinn usually being the smartest person in the room was convinced. But I knew could one-up her yet again with, "Yeah, so? We both knew it was wrong. Sure, you ran off afterward. We could've pretended it never happened. But what did you do? You came running back to me. You came for more. All I did was provide you with what you wanted. This seems to be a re-occurring pattern."

Instead of getting even more mad, she just stood there, shaking her head, trying to keep back tears before saying, "You know what? Maybe you're right. It's all my fault Vince. All my fault..." she said, before turning her back and walking away.

...

I came across Quinn again early that morning because I couldn't sleep. The more I thought about it, the more her final words had been right. It was her fault. She messed things up with Logan, and I was sure to encounter Lola later today and we would probably end things too. The feeling between us was mutual, so what was stopping us from being so secret now that Logan and Lola were out of the picture?

I was out jogging to see her on the basketball court, practicing her free-throw. I said hi but all she wanted me to do was go away. She even went as far as to slapping me when I tried to kiss her. All I was trying to do was comfort her, tell her that I still cared about her the only way I knew how, yet she decided to scream in my face, telling me to stay away from her.

The next thing I knew, she was running off.

...

"Hey, babe...why do you have to be ignoring me so much these past two days?" I said, once I finally caught sight of Lola two days after me and Quinn got caught.

"I know what happened between you and Quinn. I know you've been cheating on me, Vince, and don't you dare try to deny it! I don't understand what I've done wrong. I've always been there for you, came to every football game, cheered you on during practice, and loved you. Before I stop talking to you completely, I want to know why you would choose Quinn over me."

I sighed, knowing I was in trouble. Her brown eyes burning into mine, demanding an answer and quick, and that's when I knew I had to tell her, "Okay, babe. I want to say that I'm sorry - "

"-That's a lie Vince, you and I both know that. But please, continue, humor me, try to win me back...just know that nothing you say is going to work."

"Whatever, Lola. You wanted an answer and I'm giving you one. Anyway, I know what I did was wrong. She was the one who came to me. I tried to push her away, but every time I did...I ended up becoming attracted to her. I ended up liking both of you. You've been a great girlfriend to me. You believed in me when no one else did, became my friend when everyone else ignored me, and I thank you for that. I felt smothered though. I needed room for air and Quinn gave me that. I never chose Quinn over you, I was still with you all that time wasn't I? No matter what, it was always gonna be you, Lola," I said these last words, putting my hand on her shoulder, trying to make this long soliloquy sound as sincere as possible. She pushed me away.

"Cut the crap, Vince. That whole long speech you made? It's all a lie." Dammit, the way she could see through me so well always kind of annoyed me. "If I was such a good girlfriend, then why would you ever bring anyone else into the picture, much less my best friend? Although Quinn has a part in this and she is definitely to blame, I know that you tempted her into going behind my back. If you needed space, you could've asked. Instead you chose to screw over everything we had. If you really loved me, you wouldn't have done any of this."

I didn't know how to respond, so I said the only thing that could I knew that could possibly win her back, "Man, you're always so cute when you're mad." She slapped me in the face hard. Guess I thought wrong.

"Vince, if it wasn't already obvious, we're through. _Through. _I never want to talk to you again, I'll be returning all your things I have to your dorm later, and now, this relationship is over. I'm just sorry that I chose to believe that you really changed. Chase was right all along."

And with that, she stormed off, mad as hell.

...

Like Quinn found her re-occurring pattern, always coming back to me no matter how wrong she knew it was, I had found my own. Making people storm off after a conversation...that and having a habit of screwing things up and screwing people over. This was no different, just a new situation and with different people. I always seem to disappoint people.

Once I had tried out for PCA's football team, I had finally found something that I loved doing, something that would make me popular, something that would make my father proud for once. I had it all. But it all came crashing down when Chase Matthews caught me taking pictures of the answers to that stupid test and sent all my fame, glory, popularity, and pride down the toilet. I could've been a PCA legend for years to come.

Last year, I got the chance to come back. Although I'm nowhere near to where I was before, I was finally happy again. I was back on the football team and got a beautiful girlfriend in the process. I tried to convince everyone that I wasn't the evil Vince Blake that I used to be, the person who cheated on tests and beat up Chase and his friends was all in the past. Lola was the one who made me believe in it, that maybe I really had changed.

Who knew that Quinn Pensky would be the one to show all of PCA that I really didn't change, that this is who I really am? A cheating, two-timing bully, always trying to please everyone around him and screwing things up in the process.

I mulled all this over after classes were over for the day and I was walking back to my dorm room to chill a little bit before baseball practice.

...

"Vince...dude, how did you manage to do that?" my roommate Aaron said as I walked into the room.

"Honestly! It's circulating throughout the entire school that you cheated on Lola with Quinn Pensky," my other roommate, Chris, commented.

At this point, my eyes had grown wide. I knew that I would be facing major drama these next few weeks here and I really didn't need anymore from my roommates right now. But I prepared for the worst when I said, "Yeah, I guess I did."

"This makes you even more legend now! Lola and Quinn are two of the hottest seniors at PCA!" Chris said.

"First you have hot, sexy Lola. Then you steal Reese's girl, Quinn who is pretty smokin' herself. How did you pull it off?" Aaron questioned.

"It's a long story, but I'll tell you guys after football practice today. Quite funny, actually."

I headed out a few minutes later for the locker rooms I thought that cheating on Lola with Quinn would bring my popularity to a nose-dive, but instead, I'm sky-rocketing to the top. And to think that I actually felt sorry for what I had done for a moment.

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**Hey Guys! I know, I know...it's been FOREVER. I've just been busy and really uninspired lately. But I was searching through my documents on my computer yesterday and found that I had started chapter 6 a few months ago and decided to finish it. I really hope that I got Vince's character down. I've found that it was so fun writing from his POV and you'll definitely see more of him in future chapters. If you're going to review, _please be honest..._how did I do? **

**Also, as most of you have probably noticed, this fandom has really died out over this past year. I still love Zoey 101 and will keep writing "Illusions and Lies" for as long as I can. But I think this will mainly be my only Z101 story that I'll be actively working on...I'm going to try to move on and write stuff for other fandoms. **

**I hope that everyone is having a wonderful summer! Now get to it! Review, favorite, alert, etc. :) **

**~HOTL **


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